Last night in Las Vegas at UFC Noche, Valentina Shevchenko fell short of reclaiming the UFC flyweight title to Alexa Grasso.
The fight at the T-Mobile Arena marked the second meeting between Shevchenko and Grasso. Grasso got the better of the first meeting when she submitted the longtime champion at UFC 285 in March.
Before losing her title, Shevchenko rode a nine-fight win streak, defending the flyweight title seven consecutive times.
Meanwhile, prior to submitting Shevchenko, the 30-year-old had attained four straight wins over Kim Ji-yeon, Maycee Barber, Joanne Wood and Viviane Araujo.
As expected, the rematch consisted of a back-and-forth battle, with both women having big moments. Shevchenko started strong but was dropped by Grasso in the second round. ‘The Bullet’ bounced back in round three, with rounds four and five being up in the air.
With five rounds banked, the fight was ruled a split draw, which meant Grasso would still keep the flyweight title. The result caused an uproar because Mike Bell awarded Grasso a 10-8 round. If he were to have scored the fight a 10-9, Shevchenko would have won the fight.
Shevchenko spoke with Aaron Bronsteter post-fight and revealed her thoughts on the controversial scorecard.
Valentina Shevchenko Reacts to Split Draw
“I felt it’s a little bit unfair,” Shevchenko responded when asked if she felt robbed. “I felt it was three rounds my side. Like two rounds her side. I felt the 10-8 (round) is kind of like completely not right.”
Valentina Shevchenko added:
“But I feel that maybe the pressure of Mexican Independence Day, it was like affecting the judges decision. I’m happy that I did everything to the best that I can. To give all fans the best fight that I could give. So this is what I’m proud of.”
The full interview can be found below.
In terms of the landscape of the women’s flyweight division, what’s next? Would you like to see a trilogy between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
